mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
937 lines
53 KiB
Plaintext
937 lines
53 KiB
Plaintext
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN">
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<!--
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DocBook 4.1 markup
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2001/04/10 - Philippe Martin - feloy@free.fr
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-->
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<article>
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<articleinfo>
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<title>Linux Installation Strategies mini-HOWTO</title>
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<author>
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<firstname>Tobby</firstname>
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<surname>Banerjee</surname>
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<affiliation>
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<address><email>tobbyb@usa.net</email></address>
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</affiliation>
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</author>
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<othercredit>
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<firstname>Philippe</firstname>
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<surname>Martin</surname>
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<contrib>Conversion to DocBook SGML</contrib>
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</othercredit>
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<revhistory>
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<revision>
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<revnumber>1.0.1</revnumber>
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<date>2001-05-02</date>
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<authorinitials>pm</authorinitials>
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<revremark>
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Conversion to DocBook SGML.
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</revremark>
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</revision>
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<revision>
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<revnumber>1.0</revnumber>
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<date>2000-12-20</date>
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<authorinitials>tb</authorinitials>
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<revremark>
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Initial release.
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</revremark>
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</revision>
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</revhistory>
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<abstract>
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<simpara>This document discusses a few installation strategies for those
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who intend to dual-boot between Windows and Linux.</simpara>
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</abstract>
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</articleinfo>
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<sect1>
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<title>License</title>
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<simpara>You are free to do with this document
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whatever you please but reading it would be a good idea. I am naturally not
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responsible for any consequence or action arising out of the use of
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information provided in this document. I am not a very responsible person
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and you heed me at your own peril.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Mail</title>
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<simpara>Should you find this document helpful please
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feel free to mail me at <email>tobbyb@hotmail.com</email>. Microsoft shares
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will be highly appreciated but short of that flattery will do just fine.
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</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>The basics</title> <simpara>The primary purpose of this document is
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to make the co-existance between Windows and Linux as simple and uncomplex
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as possible which means as far as Windows is concerned Linux doesn't
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exist. It is now possible to install Linux on a Windows partition as a disk
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image with what is known as the <systemitem>loopback</systemitem> filesystem
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– RedHat and Mandrake offer this – but it's an extremely bad
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idea because of the way Windows handles files. Defragmenting the system will
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become a nightmare and Linux itself will crawl and it will ruin both your
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Windows and Linux experience. The same applies to the
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<systemitem>Umsdos</systemitem> filesystem (though Linux won't crawl) and
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it's best to install Linux on a partition of its own. This document makes a
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few presumptions but nothing to worry about – just a few.</simpara>
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<para><itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>You are using Windows 9x (95,98) not Me or 2000.</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>You are familiar with computers <abbrev>ie</abbrev> you know
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how to boot the system using the floppy or cdrom drive</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>You know your way around DOS and Windows</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>You know what a partition is and want to install Linux on a
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partition of its own</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>You have a large hard disk – upward of
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<literal>8.4</literal> Gb – which currently holds
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Windows and on which you intend to install Linux (even
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those who with smaller disks can read on).</simpara>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<simpara>With that out of the way we can begin. The first thing to do is to
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make space for Linux. Like other Linux wannabes you are likely to be stuck
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with a huge single partition with Windows on it. This would be your
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<medialabel>C</medialabel> drive. In my case it was hogging
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<literal>13.5</literal> gigs. You have to make a separate partition
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for Linux out of this space (which would then be labelled as
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<medialabel>D</medialabel>). You can either use Windows
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<application>Fdisk</application> which really is not a good idea as it
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would entail losing all your data and making new partitions from scratch,
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one for Windows and one for Linux, or you can take the easier and far more
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convenient way out and use a free and excellent non-destructive
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partitioning utility called <application>Fips</application>. What makes
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<application>Fips</application> special is its ability to create a new
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partition out of the free space in your <MediaLabel>C</MediaLabel>
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partition without any loss of data. The latest version of
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<application>Fips</application> (<literal>2.0</literal>) is available at
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its homepage <ulink url="http://www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/"></ulink>
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and most Linux distributions carry it under the
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<filename class="directory">/dostools</filename> or
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<filename class="directory">/dosutils</filename> directory in the primary
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cd.</simpara>
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<simpara>We are going to concentrate on using
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<application>Fips</application> so if you are going to use Windows
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<application>Fdisk</application> – which actually is totally
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unnecessary unless you have just bought a new system and even then it's a
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better idea to make a single partition with Windows
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<application>Fdisk</application>, install Windows on it and then use
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<application>Fips</application> to split it for reasons that I'm going to
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explain later in this document – or a commercial partition utility
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like <application>Partition Magic</application> you are on your
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own.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>A note about hard disks and partitions</title>
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<simpara>A hard disk can have a maximum of <literal>4</literal> primary
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partitions – don't ask me why, I don't know. Apart from primary
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partitions a hard disk can also have what is known as an extended partition
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which inturn can hold a number of logical partitions – I believe the
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number is close to <literal>15</literal>. The extended partitions are not
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real partitions like primary or logical partitions in that they don't store
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data but are actually containers for logical partitions which is where data
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is actually stored – as you can see it is uneccessarily complex. Thus
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in Windows <medialabel>C</medialabel> is a primary partition and if you used
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Windows <application>Fdisk</application> – Windows
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<application>Fdisk</application> will not make more than one primary
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partition to partition your hard disk – <medialabel>D</medialabel> is
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usually the first logical partition of the extended
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partition. <medialabel>E</medialabel> would be the second logical partition
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and so on. In Linux things are slightly different. The first primary
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partition is called <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda1</filename>, the
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second primary partition <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda2</filename>
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upto the fourth which is <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda4</filename>.
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Linux refers to the an extended partition as in the case of a disk with
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<literal>1</literal> primary and one extended partition as
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda1</filename> for the primary and
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda2</filename> for the extended. The
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logical partitions of the extended partitions are referred to as
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda5</filename>,
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda6</filename> and so on. The second hard disk
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would be referred to as <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hdb</filename>,
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the third <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hdc</filename> (usually the
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cdrom drive if set as secondary master) and the fourth and last hard disk as
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hdd</filename> (last because the
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motherboard has place for a maximum of <literal>4</literal>
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<acronym>IDE</acronym> devices) <acronym>SCSI</acronym> devices are referred
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to as <filename class="devicefile">/dev/sda</filename> – thank god for
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that.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>The concepts</title>
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<simpara>What <application>Fips</application> does is make a new primary
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partition out of the free space in your hard disk. This is an inherently
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dangerous operation and it's a good idea to back up all your important
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data lest something go wrong. Having said that
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<application>Fips</application> has been used successfully by a large
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number of people in different conditions and unless there is something
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already wrong with your hard disk, <acronym>FAT</acronym> (File Allocation
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Table) or partition table things will work just fine. You should read the
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<application>Fips</application> documentation.</simpara>
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<simpara>Before you set out to partition the hard disk you have to decide
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how you want to boot into Linux. The default and most common method is to
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use <application>Lilo</application> – a simple and basic bootloader
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program that overwrites (after saving) your hard disk's
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<acronym>MBR</acronym> (Master Boot Record) and on booting the system
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gives you a choice between booting either Windows or Linux. If you select
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Windows it boots Windows and you are met with the familiar windows screen
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or if you select Linux it boots Linux and if you don't make a choice in
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the stipulated time – could be anything from
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±<literal>5</literal> seconds depending on how you set it up
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– it boots the default operating system, Windows or Linux, again
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depending on how you set it up. You can restore your original
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<acronym>MBR</acronym> anytime, when uninstalling Linux for instance,
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either by typing <command>/sbin/lilo <option>-u</option></command> within
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Linux or typing <command>fdisk <option>/MBR</option></command> in DOS
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(this will overwrite the <acronym>MBR</acronym> with the original Windows
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<acronym>MBR</acronym>) needless to say you would lose the option to boot
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into Linux after this and thus access to your Linux partition.</simpara>
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<simpara>The problem with using <application>Lilo</application> especially
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for those with large disks is you would have to give up a substantial
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chunk of your disk space to Linux. This is not a flexible solution since
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while you can access your Windows partition from within Linux – the
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large <acronym>MPEG</acronym> files can thus be stored in Windows and
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accessed by both operating systems – the alternate is not
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true.</simpara>
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<simpara>This is because of an arcane <acronym>BIOS</acronym> limitation
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that limits <application>Lilo</application> to the first
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<literal>1024</literal> cylinders of the hard disk. Windows and Linux have
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no such limitations – it has something to do with address
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translation and <acronym>LBA</acronym> which I have yet to fully
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understand. Suffice to know the <acronym>BIOS</acronym> cannot access data
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that is beyond this <literal>1024</literal> cylinder limit and since
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<application>Lilo</application> is dependent on the
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<acronym>BIOS</acronym> to boot the <acronym>OS</acronym>'s nor can
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it. Thus if you want to use <application>Lilo</application> to boot Linux
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you got to make sure that the Linux partition is well below the
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<literal>1024</literal> cylinder limit. My hard disk – and most
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modern hard disks have more than <literal>1024</literal> cylinders –
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has <literal>1650</literal> cylinders and using
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<application>Lilo</application> means making the Linux partition at about
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the <literal>1000</literal> or <literal>1010</literal> cylinder mark which
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translates into a whopping <literal>5.2</literal> Gb of
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<literal>12.9</literal> Gb to Linux and this wasn't working for me
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since my Linux stuff hardly need more than <literal>2</literal> Gb
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and my Windows data on the other hand with <acronym>MP3</acronym>'s and
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<acronym>MPEG</acronym> movies needs a lot more than
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<literal>7</literal> Gb.</simpara>
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<simpara>The solution, and in Linux there are always solutions, is
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<application>Loadlin</application>, an underrated alternative to
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<application>Lilo</application> which is inexplicably not as popular or
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widespread, inexplicable because it's far more flexible. If you intend to
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use <application>Loadlin</application> and for those with large hard-disks
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it's an excellent alternative you don't have to worry about the
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<literal>1024</literal> cylinder limit. Even better you can launch Linux
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from your Windows desktop and modify your
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<filename>autoexec.bat</filename> file to give you an option to boot into
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either of the <acronym>OS</acronym>'s during boot time not unlike
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<application>Lilo</application>. You are then free to size your partitions
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as you please. In my case a <literal>2.2</literal> Gb extended
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partition with <literal>3</literal> logical partitions. That's right
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<literal>3</literal> partitions. It's normal to make three partitions, one
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for the Kernel boot files, one for the root partition and one for the swap
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partition but more on that later.</simpara>
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<simpara>If you must use <application>Lilo</application> but are unwilling
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to give up a lot of space there is a solution. Place the Linux partition
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in the middle of the disk. You have to split the new partition you just
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created using <application>Fips</application> into <literal>2</literal>
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(you would have to use <application>Fips</application> once again for
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this) the first partition which falls within the <literal>1024</literal>
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cylinder limit can be used for Linux and the second you can use for
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Windows. Thus your hard disk will then have <literal>3</literal>
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partitions the first and third for Windows and the one in the middle for
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Linux. I don't like this arrangement but it's up to you. (At the moment we
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are refering to the Linux partition as one but during the installation you
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will split it into <literal>3</literal> using the Linux tools) You can
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also make a small <literal>15</literal>-<literal>20</literal> Mb
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<filename class="directory">/boot</filename> partition and place it before
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the <literal>1024</literal> cylinder mark and the rest of the installation
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anywhere on the hard disk but again I quite don't like this.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Partitioning</title>
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<simpara>Now we are ready to actually partition the hard disk. First make a
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DOS boot disk (type <command>format a: <option>/s</option></command> at
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the DOS prompt or in DOS). Put the following three files in the disk,
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<filename>fips.exe</filename>, <filename>restorrb.exe</filename> and
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<filename>errors.txt</filename>. Defragment your hard disk – this
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puts all the data at the beginning leaving enough space for
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<application>Fips</application> to create a new partition from. If you use
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<application>Norton SpeedDisk</application> select the unfragment free
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space option. <application>Norton</application> usually puts data at the
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end of the disk and this will prevent <application>Fips</application> from
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creating a new partition. Run <application>Scandisk</application> and
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reboot using the bootdisk you just created.</simpara>
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<simpara>Type <command>fips</command> at the prompt and
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<application>Fips</application> will show you your partition table with a
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warning about partition table inconsistency. If your disk has more than
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<literal>1024</literal> cylinders its usually safe to ignore this
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warning. Next <application>Fips</application> will ask you is you want to
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proceed – the program is extremely meticulous – answer yes
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obviously and when prompted to save a backup of your partition table and
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boot sector answer yes – this step is absolutely vital as it allows
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you to restore your hard disk to its unpartioned single partition state
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should anything go wrong. It also comes in handy if you want to uninstall
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Linux or resize your Linux partition. It doesn't matter what happens to
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the new partition in the meantime, if you have the back up you can restore
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your hard disk to its original unpartioned state. This reversible
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operation will work in all circumstances but one; if you format your
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original (Windows) partition which was split to make space for Linux in
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the meantime, the original <acronym>FAT</acronym> is overwritten with a
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new and smaller one and the restore operation will not work.</simpara>
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<simpara>After making the backup you will be presented with a screen with
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<literal>3</literal> numbers, the first represents your original partition
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– notice it is at its smallest size, <application>Fips</application>
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has allocated all free space in the hard disk to the new partition, this
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is the default behavior. The second column shows the cylinder info which
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will be the guide for those who plan to use
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<application>Lilo</application>. The third shows the size of the new
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partition you are going to create – it is at its largest size. Use
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the arrow keys to resize the partition, you would just have to reduce the
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size of the new partition since it is at its maximum to a size you
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want. For <application>Lilo</application> users the new partition has to
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be below the <literal>1024</literal> cylinder mark,
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<literal>1000</literal> is a reasonable beginning for the new
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partition. After you are satisfied with the size of your new partition
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press enter, <application>Fips</application> will ask you to confirm and
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write the new partition table.</simpara>
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<simpara>Reboot your system. Remember to change the <acronym>BIOS</acronym>
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settings to boot from the hard disk or you will end up rebooting with the
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floppy. Double click <guiicon>My Computer</guiicon> and you will see the
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result of all the hard work, there will be a new drive labelled
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<medialabel>D</medialabel> alongside the original
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<medialabel>C</medialabel>. Don't touch <medialabel>D</medialabel>, run
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<application>scandisk</application> on your original partition
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(<medialabel>C</medialabel>) – hopefully there will be no errors
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– and at this point you are ready to install Linux.</simpara>
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<simpara>Some of the Linux documentation mistakenly ask you to delete the
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newly created partition using Windows <application>Fdisk</application>. Do
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not commit that blunder because if you do the Linux partitions will show
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up in <guiicon>My Computer</guiicon> when you reboot after installing
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Linux and since Windows obviously cannot read these drives and the
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<acronym>ext2</acronym> filesystem, using
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<application>Explorer</application> and acessing your hard disk in Windows
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will become a time consuming and destabilizing affair. So don't do
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it.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Installation</title>
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<simpara>Reboot using your Linux Installation CD – I use Redhat 6.2 which is
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fairly straight forward and I will focus on it. Most Linux distributions
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have really worked on their installation programs and you shouldn't have a
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problem. Just have the details about your hardware in hand, the horizontal
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and vertical refresh rate of your monitor in case the installation program
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doesn't automatically detect it ( you will find the exact figures in the
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manual ), the video card, its memory type ( <acronym>SDRAM</acronym> or
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<acronym>SGRAM</acronym> ) and size, and your mouse type –
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<acronym>PS2</acronym> or Serial. As I mentioned earlier you will have to
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make about <literal>3</literal> partitions for Linux, you can make more
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but <literal>3</literal> is the recommended number. There are
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<literal>3</literal> main installation types,
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<emphasis>Workstation</emphasis>, <emphasis>Server</emphasis> and
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<emphasis>Custom</emphasis>. The Server class install erases everything in
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the hard disk so beware. The workstation and custom installs have
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sub-classes but that's for you to explore.</simpara>
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<simpara><application>Loadlin</application> users have to select custom
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installation and dump <application>Lilo</application> when given the
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oppurtunity because the other types of installations install
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<application>Lilo</application> by default and without asking and we dont
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want that do we? <application>Lilo</application> users have no
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restrictions; you can opt for whichever install type you like.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>The <application>Lilo</application> way</title>
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<simpara><application>Lilo</application> fans can use <application>Disk
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Druid</application> which is RedHat's default partitioning utility
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– yes we haven't finished with partitioning just yet. First delete
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the second partition which will show up in
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<application>Disk Druid</application>'s screen as
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<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda2.</filename> Then create a new
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partiton, set its mount point to
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<filename class="directory">/boot</filename> and size to
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<literal>16</literal> Mb. Create the second partition and set its
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mount point to <filename class="directory">/</filename>(that's called the
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root partition) and size to <emphasis>growable</emphasis>. This tells
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<application>Disk Druid</application> to reclaim all free space after you
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have finshed partititoning . Create the third partition and set its mount
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point to <systemitem>swap</systemitem> and size to about
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<literal>127</literal> Mb presuming you have
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<literal>64</literal> Mb <acronym>RAM</acronym>, those with less can
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make a <literal>64</literal> Mb swap partition.</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>The <application>Loadlin</application> way</title>
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|
|
<simpara>Those who intend to use <application>Loadlin</application> however
|
|
cannot use <application>Disk Druid</application>, they will have to use
|
|
Linux <application>Fdisk</application> which may have an intimidating
|
|
reputation but is actually pretty simple. When presented with the
|
|
<guilabel>installation type</guilabel> screen select
|
|
<guibutton>custom</guibutton> and with <guibutton>fdisk</guibutton> (you
|
|
will find a small button with <guibutton>fdisk</guibutton> on it at the
|
|
top of the screen). For some reason <application>Disk Druid</application>
|
|
doesn't let you proceed with the installation if your
|
|
<filename class="directory">/boot</filename> partition is above the
|
|
<literal>1024</literal> cylinder limit so if you try to use it to create
|
|
the partitions the install program will refuse to
|
|
proceed. <application>Fdisk</application> is a pretty straight forward
|
|
program and easy to use too. First you have to delete the partition you
|
|
just created using <application>Fips</application>. Many people don't
|
|
understand why they have to delete the partition they just created at
|
|
considerable risk. This new partition is actually a
|
|
<acronym>FAT32</acronym> partiton which Linux cannot use and when you
|
|
delete it, it doesn't revert to being a part of <medialabel>C</medialabel>
|
|
but is actually <guilabel>UNPARTITIONED FREE SPACE</guilabel> which you
|
|
can use to create new partitions.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>You have to understand a few <application>Fdisk</application>
|
|
operations, typing <keycap>m</keycap> lists all the options, typing
|
|
<keycap>p</keycap> at the prompt shows you the current partition table,
|
|
<keycap>d</keycap> deletes a partiton, <keycap>n</keycap> creates a
|
|
partition, <keycap>q</keycap> quits without saving changes so if you make
|
|
any mistakes there is nothing to worry about just type <keycap>q</keycap>
|
|
and start all over again, <keycap>w</keycap> writes changes to the
|
|
partition table use only after you are sure and <keycap>L</keycap> shows
|
|
you the hex numbers for different partition types but you only need to
|
|
know <literal>2</literal>, <symbol>Linux native</symbol> is hex number
|
|
<constant>83</constant> and <symbol>Linux swap</symbol> is hex number
|
|
<constant>82</constant>. So why do you need the Hex numbers? While
|
|
<application>Disk Druid</application> allows you to mount a swap partition
|
|
without going into the hex numbers in <application>Fdisk</application> the
|
|
only way to make a swap partiton is to give it its correct hex number
|
|
which is <constant>82</constant>.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Let's start, in <application>Fdisk</application> type
|
|
<keycap>p</keycap> at the prompt and you will see the current partition
|
|
table. Type <keycap>d</keycap> and select the partition you want to delete
|
|
which in this case would be
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda2</filename> (just type <literal>2</literal>)
|
|
type <keycap>p</keycap> again and you will see the change reflected in the
|
|
partition table. There will now be a single <acronym>FAT32</acronym>
|
|
partition <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda1</filename> (which is
|
|
actually <medialabel>C</medialabel>). Type <keycap>n</keycap> to create a
|
|
new partition and for <prompt>type of partition</prompt> the choices being
|
|
<emphasis>primary</emphasis> or <emphasis>extended</emphasis> select
|
|
<keycap>e</keycap>. There is no hard and fast rule about this for instance
|
|
you could have a primary partition for
|
|
<filename class="directory">/boot</filename> and an extended partition
|
|
holding two logical partitions <filename class="directory">/</filename> and
|
|
<systemitem>swap</systemitem>. I recommend an extended partition that
|
|
holds three logical partitions. Now you have to size your extended
|
|
partition properly since it's a container for the three logical
|
|
partitions. From now on you just have to respond to
|
|
<application>Fdisk</application>. It will ask you to set the size of the
|
|
extended partition that you want to create. This partition will start
|
|
where your Windows partition ends and ends at the end of the disk. You can
|
|
either give the size in <acronym>M</acronym> (megabytes) in cylinder
|
|
numbers or in <acronym>K</acronym> (kilobytes). Just accept the default
|
|
for the start of the partition and select the end cylinder number for the
|
|
end – <application>Fdisk</application> will give you the end
|
|
cylinder number.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Repeat the operation for the three logical partitions, only this
|
|
time you would have to select logical instead of extended and the
|
|
appropriate sizes which are <literal>16</literal> Mb for the boot
|
|
partition, <literal>127</literal> Mb for the swap partition (the size
|
|
of the swap partition is variable depending on installed
|
|
<acronym>RAM</acronym>, double your <acronym>RAM</acronym> is recommended)
|
|
and the rest of the free space for the root
|
|
( <filename class="directory">/</filename> ) partition. Find your way
|
|
– it's simple, really! After creating the three partitions type
|
|
<keycap>p</keycap> and you will see the partitions you just created. There
|
|
will be <filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda2</filename> (extended)
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda5</filename> (logical)
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda6</filename> (logical) and
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda7</filename> (logical). There is just
|
|
one thing left to do, set the hex number for the swap partition. Type
|
|
<keycap>t</keycap> and select the <literal>127</literal> Mb partition
|
|
you created which would be
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda6</filename> enter
|
|
<constant>6</constant> for the partition number and
|
|
<constant>82</constant> for the hex number (you will be prompted) and you
|
|
have just finished with partitioning. Type <keycap>w</keycap> after making
|
|
sure and <application>Fdisk</application> will write the new partition
|
|
table and exit. The next screen will be the
|
|
<application>Disk Druid</application> screen our
|
|
<application>Lilo</application> friends
|
|
have already seen and you just have to mount the partitions with
|
|
<application>Disk Druid</application>. Select
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda5</filename> (the
|
|
<literal>16</literal> Mb partition) and mount it as
|
|
<filename class="directory">/boot</filename>. Select
|
|
<filename class="devicefile">/dev/hda7</filename> and mount it as
|
|
<filename class="directory">/</filename> (the root partition)</simpara>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title>Rebooting</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>The rest of the installation is straight forward and requires no
|
|
hand holding. Select the packages you want, make the boot disk when given
|
|
the oppurtunity to (absolutely essential especially for
|
|
<application>Loadlin</application> users) and reboot the
|
|
system. <application>Lilo</application> users should press
|
|
<userinput>dos</userinput> at the <application>Lilo</application> prompt
|
|
to boot into Windows. Like promised none of the Linux partitions will be
|
|
visible to Windows and we can all rest in peace for
|
|
that. <application>Lilo</application> users should reboot the system and
|
|
boot into linux this time by typing <userinput>linux</userinput> at the
|
|
<application>Lilo</application> prompt and depending on the choices you
|
|
made you will either be at the console or the
|
|
<application>gnome</application> or <application>kde</application>
|
|
desktop. From one amateur to another it's always a good idea to log into
|
|
the console first and not graphically and then starting
|
|
<application>X</application> because if <application>X</application>
|
|
crashes on you still have access to the system to make amends.
|
|
<application>Lilo</application> is set to boot into Linux by default after
|
|
a gap of <literal>5</literal> seconds, you can change the default to
|
|
Windows by editing the <filename>lilo</filename> file in
|
|
<filename class="directory">/etc</filename>. Look for the line that says
|
|
<emphasis>default=linux</emphasis> and change it to
|
|
<token>dos</token>. Alternative launch <application>lilo</application>
|
|
from an <application>xterm</application> and change the asterisk from
|
|
<token>linux</token> to <token>dos</token> (use the arrow buttons,
|
|
dummy). That's set now for <application>Lilo</application>
|
|
users.</simpara>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title>Setting up <application>Loadlin</application></title>
|
|
|
|
<para><application>Loadlin</application> users still have a little work to
|
|
do. First boot into Linux with the floppy. If you logged in graphically
|
|
start a terminal emulator like <application>xterm</application> or some
|
|
other. There are always a couple of these under the utilities menu. Type
|
|
<command>mkdir /mnt/dosc</command>. This is the first step to make your
|
|
Windows partition accessble to Linux and this is particularly important
|
|
for <application>Loadlin</application> users as it is the easiest way to
|
|
tranfer the Linux kernel to your Windows partition. Next start
|
|
<application>linuxconf</application> from the system menu or the
|
|
<application>xterm</application> and look for the filesystem menu. Expand
|
|
<guibutton>accesss local drives</guibutton> and select
|
|
<guibutton>add</guibutton>. Type <userinput>/dev/hda1</userinput> in the
|
|
partition field, <userinput>vfat</userinput> in the type field and
|
|
<userinput>/mnt/dosc/</userinput> in the mount point field and mount the
|
|
partition. Alternatively you can directly edit the
|
|
<filename>fstab</filename> file in
|
|
<filename class="directory">/etc</filename> in a text editor
|
|
(<application>Gedit</application> is a good choice) and add the following
|
|
line exactly as shown.
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>/dev/hda1 /mnt/dosc vfat defaults 0 0</programlisting>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>This should give you access to your Windows partition, it will be in
|
|
<filename class="directory">/mnt/dosc/</filename>. Copy the linux kernel
|
|
to your <medialabel>C</medialabel> directory and rename it to
|
|
<filename>vmlinuz</filename>. You will find it in
|
|
<filename class="directory">/boot</filename> and probably called
|
|
<wordasword>vmlinuz</wordasword> followed by your kernel version number in
|
|
my case <filename>vmlinuz-2.2.14-5.0</filename>. Do not copy the
|
|
<filename class="symlink">vmlinuz</filename> with an arrow in it, its a
|
|
symbolic link. Reboot into windows, get the
|
|
<application>loadlin</application> package from the Linux cd – it
|
|
will be in the <filename class="directory">/dostools/utils</filename>
|
|
subdirectory. Unzip it and place <filename>Loadlin.exe</filename> in the
|
|
<medialabel>C</medialabel> directory. <application>Loadlin</application>
|
|
and the kernel can be anywhere on your windows partition but for the time
|
|
being we will leave it in root directory of Windows. Now its up to you how
|
|
you want to boot into Linux. Read the <application>loadlin</application>
|
|
documentation for the details. The roundabout way is to restart the system
|
|
in <acronym>DOS</acronym> mode and type:
|
|
|
|
<screen><prompt>C:></prompt> <userinput>loadlin vmlinuz root=/dev/hda7 ro</userinput></screen>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>This will boot you into Linux. The easier way is to make a
|
|
<filename>.bat</filename> file with the same information and placing it on
|
|
your desktop. Open <application>notepad</application> type
|
|
<userinput>c:\loadlin c:\vmlinuz root=/dev/hda7 ro</userinput> and save
|
|
the file as <filename>linux.bat</filename>, right click the file, select
|
|
<guisubmenu>advanced</guisubmenu>, and check the msdos mode and warn
|
|
settings. Make a shortcut to this file and put it on your desktop. The
|
|
next time you want to boot into Linux just double click this file and you
|
|
will be in – talk about convenience.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you want to be prompted to boot into linux before Windows boots
|
|
like the <application>Lilo</application> guys you have to make another
|
|
<filename>.bat</filename> file and call it from your
|
|
<filename>autoexec.bat</filename> file. It's very simple and the details
|
|
are available in the <application>Loadlin</application> documentation. The
|
|
file looks a bit like this.
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
@echo off
|
|
cls
|
|
echo.
|
|
echo.
|
|
echo.
|
|
echo.
|
|
choice /t:n,5 "Do you wish to boot Linux?"
|
|
if errorlevel 2 goto End
|
|
c:\loadlin c:\vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 ro
|
|
End
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
<emphasis>(This little script has been filched from the
|
|
<application>Loadlin</application> documentation which you would know if
|
|
you did the sensible thing and read the documentation)</emphasis>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Save this text as <filename>linux.bat</filename> or if there
|
|
already is a <filename>linux.bat</filename> in your Windows root directory
|
|
you can place it in another directory or give it another name. Add the
|
|
following line to your <filename>autoexec.bat</filename> file
|
|
<userinput>c:\linux '</userinput>(or whatever you have named the
|
|
<filename>.bat</filename> file). The main thing if you are using a
|
|
<filename>.bat</filename> file is to tell
|
|
<application>Loadlin</application> where to find the kernel image file
|
|
(<filename>vmlinuz</filename>). The above <filename>.bat</filename> file
|
|
gives you the option to boot into Linux before Windows loads by typing
|
|
<keycap>y</keycap> (for Linux) or <keycap>n</keycap> (for Windows) within
|
|
five seconds at which point it boots Windows. Enjoy.</simpara>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title>Removing Linux and restoring your Windows partition to its Original
|
|
state</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Depending on whether you are using <application>Lilo</application>
|
|
or <application>Loadlin</application> the method differs
|
|
slightly. <application>Lilo</application> users have to first restore
|
|
their original <acronym>MBR</acronym> either by typing <command>/sbin/lilo
|
|
<option>-u</option></command> within Linux or typing <command>fdisk
|
|
<option>/MBR</option></command> in <acronym>DOS</acronym>. The next steps
|
|
are common for both <application>Loadlin</application> and
|
|
<application>Lilo</application> users. These are not really neccessary but
|
|
just to be on the safe side I do them all the same.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Boot using the Linux installation CD and type <userinput>Linux
|
|
expert</userinput> at the first prompt, answer whatever you wish to the
|
|
next questions until you get to the install selection screen. Here select
|
|
<emphasis>Install</emphasis> and <emphasis>With Fdisk</emphasis> and use
|
|
<application>Fdisk</application> to delete all Linux partitions. Write the
|
|
changes to disk and
|
|
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>–<keycap>Alt</keycap>–<keycap>Delete</keycap>
|
|
your way out of the installation program or reset your system to
|
|
reboot. Remember to change the <acronym>BIOS</acronym> settings to boot
|
|
from the hard disk or else you will reboot from the
|
|
<acronym>CDROM</acronym> again.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Reboot once again, this time with the
|
|
<application>fips</application> disk that has the backup of your partition
|
|
table and boot sector – you saved it, didn't you? – and type
|
|
<command>restorrb</command> at the prompt. Answer
|
|
<userinput>yes</userinput> to the question, the program will restore your
|
|
partition table and boot sector and you can pat yourself on the back for
|
|
accomplishing the impossible – reclaiming lost partition space! This
|
|
is all the more reason for making sure that the crucial backup file
|
|
(<filename>Rootboot.000</filename>) is saved in at least
|
|
<literal>5</literal> different locations. You can never be too
|
|
careful. Reboot back into Windows and run
|
|
<application>scandisk</application> on the newly increased
|
|
<medialabel>C</medialabel> drive. It will report one error in the
|
|
<systemitem>fsinfo</systemitem> sector which is just a used and free space
|
|
accounting error. Your Linux data is now naturally lost for
|
|
ever. Hopefully this procedure won't be neccessary unless you are
|
|
increasing space allocated to Linux or getting rid of Windows.</simpara>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title><application>XFree 4.01</application></title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>It's a good idea to upgrade your <application>Xserver</application>
|
|
to <literal>4.01</literal>. At the moment only RedHat 7.0 ships with this
|
|
version of <application>X</application> but it is availabe from the X
|
|
consortium's (how corny) ftp site –
|
|
<ulink url="ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/">ftp.xfree86.org/</ulink>. It provides direct
|
|
acceleration and increased performance for a large number of accelerated
|
|
cards and those with Nvidia cards are in luck for not only does
|
|
<application>X 4.01</application> natively provide excellent support for
|
|
most of their cards but Nvidia have made available high performance
|
|
<acronym>OpenGL</acronym> accelerated drivers – cheers to them. See
|
|
<application>XFree</application>'s home site –
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.xfree86.org/"></ulink> – for more info.</simpara>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title>Tips and Suggestions</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem><simpara>Whatever soundcard you have Alsa drivers will deliver
|
|
better performance and if like me you have the Yamaha 724 the Alsa
|
|
drivers are nearly as good as those provided by Yamaha for
|
|
Windows. You will of course have to compile them for your system but
|
|
don't let that deter you. Its a simple matter of three commands. The
|
|
alsa drivers are available at
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.alsa-project.org/"></ulink>
|
|
</simpara></listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem><simpara>Those used to scrolling with their mouse wheel/s will
|
|
not like Linux if they can't scroll. The good news is you can but it is
|
|
not set up by default. Add the following line to your
|
|
<filename>XF86Config</filename> file in
|
|
<filename class="directory">/etc/X11/</filename> in the mouse
|
|
section <userinput>"ZAxisMapping 4 5"</userinput>
|
|
(obviously without the quotes though in
|
|
<application>Xfree 4.01</application> you would have to
|
|
enclose the numerical values in quotes) If this doesn't work visit the
|
|
Linux scroll wheel homepage at
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.inria.fr/koala/colas/mouse-wheel-scroll/"></ulink>
|
|
set up by a curiously named fellow called Colas Nahaboo.
|
|
</simpara></listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem><simpara>By default the hard disk is not configured to perform
|
|
at its optimum and in most cases the difference can be dramatic.
|
|
<acronym>DMA</acronym>, 32 bit <acronym>IO</acronym> and
|
|
multiple sector transfers are disabled by default and you
|
|
should enable them at the earliest this is of course presuming you have
|
|
a relatively new hard disk that support these features. As a test you
|
|
should benchmark your <acronym>hdd</acronym> before and after you
|
|
change the settings just to see the difference tweaking can do to
|
|
your system. The utility to change the settings is
|
|
<application>hdparm</application> and you can run it from an
|
|
<application>xterm</application> or the console but for a permanent
|
|
solution append the command to your <filename>rc.d</filename> local
|
|
file in <filename class="directory">/etc/rcd</filename>. Before you
|
|
use <application>hdparm</application> read the documentation
|
|
carefully. Its a powerful utility and misusing it can trash your
|
|
disk. First run <command>hdparm</command> with the
|
|
<option>-i</option> option to get the
|
|
info on your <acronym>hdd</acronym>, then benchmark it without the
|
|
changes by running
|
|
<command>hdparm <option>-Tt</option> /dev/hda</command>. Then run
|
|
<command>hdparm <option>-c 1</option> <option>-d 1</option>
|
|
<option>-m16</option> <option>-k 1</option> /dev/hda</command>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara><command>hdparm <option>-d 1</option></command> (sets
|
|
<varname>dma</varname> to <constant>on</constant>)
|
|
<option>-m<replaceable>x</replaceable></option>(this sets
|
|
multiple transfers where <replaceable>x</replaceable> represents the
|
|
maximum (in my case <literal>16</literal>) that your
|
|
<acronym>hdd</acronym> allows – running
|
|
<command>hdparm</command> with the <option>-i</option> option gives
|
|
you the maximum that your <acronym>hdd</acronym> allows )
|
|
<option>-c 1</option> (sets 32 bit <acronym>io</acronym>) and
|
|
<option>-k 1</option> keeps the setting. In my case the data
|
|
transfer shotup from a mere <literal>3.16</literal> to
|
|
<literal>16.8</literal> Mb/sec!</simpara>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem><simpara>A file system driver for the
|
|
<acronym>ext2</acronym> filesystem for Windows,
|
|
<systemitem>ext2fs</systemitem> is available from its homepage
|
|
<ulink url="http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/"></ulink>
|
|
giving you the added convienience of reading your Linux partitions from
|
|
within Windows.</simpara></listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
<title>The State of Linux – What to Expect</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Programmers and Enthusiasts – For programmers Linux is already a
|
|
near perfect solution. No other system gives so offers you a wider array of
|
|
tools and platforms for development. The flexibility is simply amazing and
|
|
it doesn't carry a price tag. An added benefit is the sense of community and
|
|
that's priceless.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Enthusiasts never had it so good. There is aways something new to
|
|
discover and since the system is totally transparent your chances of
|
|
understanding computing and programming in general – you will be
|
|
interested if you aren't already – are infinitely higher than in
|
|
Windows. Tinkering will never be the same again.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>For the home user – There are <literal>5</literal> separate
|
|
areas here, the internet,
|
|
gaming, basic word processing, administration and multimedia. We aren't
|
|
going to talk about ease of use here because the days of an ugly and
|
|
unwieldy interface are long gone, at the moment as far as usability and
|
|
sheer visual pizazz is concerned <application>Gnome</application> has
|
|
taken the pants off Windows so
|
|
there is nothing to worry about there. File management, installing and
|
|
uninstalling software and basic administration are more streamlined and
|
|
centralized and as you use Linux more you probably will get over any
|
|
prejudice toward the command line which is nothing like the impotent
|
|
<acronym>DOS</acronym> prompt. This is an outrageously powerful shell that
|
|
will accomplish anything
|
|
you can think off faster than it takes you to select a button. You might be
|
|
intimidated at first but its the heart of Linux the control centre, the
|
|
headquarters, your direct line to the kernel. Hardware configuration is not
|
|
as simple as in Windows mostly because plug and play has complicated things
|
|
not eased them but it's not difficult either, the best thing to do is set
|
|
your <acronym>BIOS</acronym> to <emphasis>non pnp</emphasis> so that it
|
|
can configure things especially the sound
|
|
card, but <emphasis role="bold">read read read</emphasis>. There is a lot
|
|
of documentation on your system and with that behind you everything
|
|
becomes simple. There is no excuse for ignorance.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<sect2>
|
|
<title>The Specifics – Wordprocessing</title>
|
|
<simpara><application>Corel WordPerfect</application> is good but for the
|
|
simplest solution try <application>Abiword</application> –
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.abisource.com/"></ulink>. It's good
|
|
and bears an uncanny resemblance to <application>MSWord</application>
|
|
– now now. Both are free and
|
|
widely available – I don't know about
|
|
<application>Wordperfect 9</application> , <application>8</application>
|
|
is free, good and available. Other options are
|
|
<application>Applixware</application> and <application>Star
|
|
Office</application>. I haven't used <application>Applix</application>
|
|
but <application>Star Office</application> is really ugly and slow and
|
|
just the sort of software that could put you off Linux and its just as
|
|
bad in Windows. Version 5.1 was tolerable but after Sun took it over its
|
|
deteriorated and version 5.2 is the pits. Plain text and html editors are
|
|
sprouting by the day. Most distribution carry a lot of software so
|
|
look. I'm not much of a spreadsheet person but there is
|
|
<application>GNUmeric</application> which is
|
|
not unlike <application>Excel</application> and a glaring inadequacy in
|
|
printing is now rectified. It looks good. Corel have ported nearly all
|
|
their apps and they are not as expensive as their Windows counterparts
|
|
and with the same functionality.</simpara>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2>
|
|
<title>Multimedia</title>
|
|
<simpara>This is one area where Linux will not be found wanting. There are
|
|
as many if not more <acronym>mp3</acronym> players than Windows. The
|
|
most common is <application>XMMS</application>, is somewhat like
|
|
<application>Winamp</application> and just as good – has some
|
|
great visualization plugins. Other <acronym>mp3</acronym> players are
|
|
<application>Gqmpeg</application>, <application>Freeamp</application>,
|
|
<application>Alsaplayer</application>. That's enough
|
|
for me. <acronym>Mpeg1</acronym> <acronym>vcd</acronym> players are a
|
|
bit scarce, <application>MTV</application> is good and available –
|
|
<ulink url="hteztp://www.mtvplayer.com/"></ulink> free for personal
|
|
use – a totally free solution is available from lokigames –
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.lokigames.com/"></ulink> There are
|
|
more. There are a few <acronym>mp2</acronym> players
|
|
<application>movie</application> is good. I' don't have a <acronym>dvd</acronym>
|
|
player so I don't know but <application>Xmovie</application> should
|
|
tackle <acronym>mpeg2</acronym> streams. Most of my
|
|
<acronym>mpeg1</acronym> players are <acronym>GL</acronym> accelerated
|
|
and perhaps my vcd playsback as well as
|
|
<application>Windows Media Player</application>. Ripping is a reality
|
|
with a lot of options no more <acronym>ASPI</acronym> headaches
|
|
– most of the Linux apps read digital data directly from
|
|
the discs and all the popular codecs are available;
|
|
<application>Xing</application>, <application>Fraunhofer</application> but I
|
|
use <application>Blade</application> and <application>Lame</application>
|
|
– two excellent freeware encoders avalible for all
|
|
platforms. There are also a couple of tools for cdwriting. Check some of
|
|
the Linux archives.</simpara>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2><title>Internet</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Again things are really happening here though one wishes there
|
|
were a few more browsers other than <application>Netscape</application>
|
|
but then <application>Netcape</application> is adequate. There are all
|
|
the other stuff you will find for Windows, chat utils, instant
|
|
messaging, ftp, downLoaders etc.</simpara>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2><title>Games</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>The problem area is games, there is a project on to port
|
|
popular games to Linux by Lokigames and they have a number of titles
|
|
ready –
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.lokigames.com/"></ulink> –
|
|
<application>Quake</application>
|
|
2&3 are out, <application>System Shock</application>,
|
|
<application>Heavygear</application> etc. The thing here is to make
|
|
sure you have at least <application>Xfree 4.01</application> and support
|
|
for your video card.</simpara>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2><title>Desktop Publishing</title>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>That leaves us with <acronym>DTP</acronym> and this is one area
|
|
where Linux could pound Windows but the thrust has been missing. Linux could
|
|
really be optimized for
|
|
<acronym>DTP</acronym>. <application>Ghostscript</application> - a
|
|
PostScript RIP – already
|
|
offers a professional (if you know how) solution for printing and your
|
|
printer is probably supported. If you already have a postscript
|
|
printer there is no problem to start with. For image editing there is
|
|
<application>Gimp</application>. It is nearly as good as
|
|
<application>Photoshop</application> – and
|
|
that's some compliment –
|
|
but for lack of <acronym>CMYK</acronym> and colour management support
|
|
ruling it out of
|
|
serious print work but it can be a good semi-professional solution and
|
|
for web work perfect and it's fun to
|
|
use. <application>Gimp</application> also has a couple of
|
|
good drivers for Epson printers. <application>Ghostscript</application>
|
|
has a problem with bitmaps – not all bitmaps but photographs, you
|
|
could eventually get some good output but it will take some amount of
|
|
tweaking. As far as text and vector graphics is concerned it's good
|
|
enough to replace my Epson driver in Windows (it has a Windows
|
|
version) <application>GhostScript</application> is available at its
|
|
homepage <ulink url="http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/"></ulink>
|
|
</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>Word processing is already covered. The problem areas are
|
|
vector editing and page layout. <application>Framemaker</application>
|
|
for Linux is a solution and <application>CorelDraw</application> is
|
|
available but they are both commercial offerings. There are
|
|
vector editors but all are at a nascent stage.
|
|
<application>Sketch</application>,
|
|
<application>Killustrator</application> and
|
|
<application>Impress</application> are coming along but far away from
|
|
professional solutions like
|
|
<application>Draw</application> and
|
|
<application>Adobe Illustrator</application>. For page layout there is
|
|
<application>Tex</application> but those used
|
|
to <application>Pagemaker</application>,
|
|
<application>Quark</application> or <application>InDesign</application>
|
|
are not going to be amused, its tough to
|
|
learn and difficult to control and there are way too many issues with
|
|
things like fonts and its not <acronym>wysiwyg</acronym> – we
|
|
can't live without that.</simpara>
|
|
|
|
<simpara>On a last note at the moment the only difference in
|
|
productivity for me is in vector graphics, page layout and games. They
|
|
are perhaps a year away at which point Linux would have over taken
|
|
Windows – at least as far as I'm concerned – and I would
|
|
have little reason to dual boot but I think having Windows is in a odd
|
|
way comforting as is having Linux, perhaps I will always use them
|
|
both.</simpara>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
</article>
|